A 23-year-old resident of Tamra
who is serving a 20-year sentence for murder failed to report back to prison after a 12-hour leave. His family said he escaped immediately after leaving the facility for his break. The IDF
suspects he crossed the border into Syria
with the help of two relatives.

At around 8 pm, IDF forces detected several suspects near the fence on the Syrian border in the northern Golan Heights.
Soldiers arrested two suspects ages 19 and 21 from Tamra and Jaljulia.

Syrian border fence (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

The two said they were helping a relative cross over to Syria. One of the suspects claimed the man was a relative of his who was serving a 20-year sentence for murder.

The prisoner, who has been jailed since 2006, was meant to return to the Hermon Prison with his family after a brief leave, but never returned. Police initially said that the two were arrested on suspicion they tried to smuggle drugs into Syria but it was later proved inaccurate.